Method for calibrating a dual element magnetoresistive head

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a method and apparatus for positioning a dual element magnetoresistive (MR) head relative to a storage medium in a storage device. The MR head has first and second MR elements. The storage medium is mounted in the storage device to allow relative movement between the MR head and the storage medium. The storage medium includes servo information provided to induce first and second thermal responses in the MR elements. A controller is coupled to the MR head and controls the relative movement between the MR head and the storage medium using the first and second thermal responses in the MR elements.

This application is a Divisional of application Ser. No. 08/582,555,filed Jan. 2, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,676 which application isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to data storage systems, and,more particularly, to a method and apparatus for positioning a dualelement magnetoresistive (MR) head relative to a storage medium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical data storage system includes a magnetic medium for storingdata in magnetic form and a transducer used to read and/or writemagnetic data from/to the storage medium. A disk storage device, forexample, includes one or more data storage disks coaxially mounted on ahub of a spindle motor. The spindle motor rotates the disks at speedstypically on the order of several thousand revolutions-per-minute.Digital information, representing various types of data, is typicallywritten to and read from the data storage disks by one or moretransducers, or read/write heads, which are mounted to an actuatorassembly and passed over the surface of the rapidly rotating disks.

The actuator assembly typically includes a coil assembly and a pluralityof outwardly extending arms having flexible suspensions with one or moretransducers and slider bodies being mounted on the suspensions. Thesuspensions are interleaved within the stack of rotating disks,typically by means of an arm assembly (E/block) mounted to the actuatorassembly. The coil assembly generally interacts with a permanent magnetstructure, and is responsive to a controller. A voice coil motor (VCM)is also mounted to the actuator assembly diametrically opposite theactuator arms.

In a typical digital data storage system, digital data is stored in theform of magnetic transitions on a series of concentric, spaced trackscomprising the surface of the magnetizable rigid data storage disks. Thetracks are generally divided into a plurality of sectors, with eachsector comprising a number of information fields. One of the informationfields is typically designated for storing data, while other fieldscontain track and sector position identifications and synchronizationinformation, for example. Data is transferred to, and retrieved from,specified track and sector locations by the transducers which follow agiven track and move from track to track, typically under the servocontrol of a controller.

The head slider body is typically designed as an aerodynamic liftingbody that lifts the MR head off the surface of the disk as the rate ofspindle motor rotation increases, and causes the MR head to hover abovethe disk on an air-bearing cushion produced by high speed disk rotation.The separation distance between the MR head and the disk, typically 0.1microns or less, is commonly referred to as head-to-disk spacing.

Writing data to a data storage disk generally involves passing a currentthrough the write element of the transducer assembly to produce magneticlines of flux which magnetize a specific location of the disk surface.Reading data from a specified disk location is typically accomplished bya read element of the transducer assembly sensing the magnetic field orflux lines emanating from the magnetized locations of the disk. As theread element passes over the rotating disk surface, the interactionbetween the read element and the magnetized locations on the disksurface results in the production of electrical signals in the readelement. The electrical signals correspond to transitions in themagnetic field.

Conventional data storage systems generally employ a closed-loop servocontrol system for positioning the actuator and read/write transducersto specified storage locations on the data storage disk. During normaldata storage system operation, a servo transducer, generally mountedproximate the read/write transducers, or, alternatively, incorporated asthe read element of the transducer, is typically employed to readinformation for the purpose of following a specified track (trackfollowing) and seeking specified track and data sector locations on thedisk (track seeking).

A servo writing procedure is typically implemented to initially recordservo pattern information on the surface of one or more of the datastorage disks. A servo writer assembly is typically used bymanufacturers of data storage systems to facilitate the transfer ofservo pattern data to one or more data storage disks during themanufacturing process.

In accordance with one known servo technique, embedded servo patterninformation is written to the disk along segments extending in adirection generally outward from the center of the disk. The embeddedservo pattern is thus formed between the data storing sectors of eachtrack. It is noted that a servo sector typically contains a pattern ofdata, often termed a servo burst pattern, used to maintain optimumalignment of the read/write transducers over the centerline of a trackwhen reading and writing data to specified data sectors on the track.The servo information may also include sector and track identificationcodes which are used to identify the position of the transducer.Embedded servo offers significantly higher track densities thandedicated servo since servo information is co-located with the targeteddata information (and servo information may be taken from one, singledisk surface).

In a further effort to increase disk capacity, a proposed servoinformation format was developed, termed pre-embossed rigid magnetic(PERM) disk technology. As described and illustrated in Tanaka et al.,Characterization of Magnetizing Process for Pre-Embossed Servo Patternof Plastic Hard Disks, I.E.E.E. Transactions on Magnetics 4209 (Vol. 30,No. 2, November, 1994), a PERM disk contains servo information in anumber of servo zones spaced radially about the disk. Each servo zonecontains pre-embossed recesses and raised portions to form a finepattern, clock mark, and address code. The fine pattern and address codeare used to generate servo information signals. To generate the servosignals, the magnetization direction of the raised portions and therecesses must be opposite. The magnetization process involves firstmagnetizing the entire disk in one direction using a high-field magnet.Then, a conventional write head is used to magnetize the raised areas inthe opposite direction.

While use of a PERM disk may increase disk capacity, such an approachsuffers from a number of shortcomings. Servo information is provided ona PERM servo disk in a two-step magnetization process, as describedabove. This significantly increases the amount of time required to writeservo information to the disk. Moreover, during the second step of theprocess, servo information is not yet available on the disk. Thus, anexternal positioning system must be employed, thereby increasing thecost of the servo writing process. Additional concerns associated withPERM disk technology include durability.

Finally, the PERM disk, like other embedded servo techniques, stillstores servo information in disk space which could otherwise be used fordata storage. As a result, PERM disk technology, although still at theresearch level, has not been widely accepted by industry.

There exists in the data storage system manufacturing industry a needfor a servo information format which is inexpensive to provide and whichoptimizes the data capacity of a disk. The present invention addressesthese and other needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method and apparatus for positioning a dualelement magnetoresistive (MR) head relative to a storage medium in astorage device. The MR head has first and second MR elements. Thestorage medium is mounted in the storage device to allow relativemovement between the MR head and the storage medium. The storage mediumincludes servo information provided to induce first and second thermalresponses in the MR elements. A controller is coupled to the MR head andcontrols the relative movement between the MR head and the storagemedium using the first and second thermal responses in the MR elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a data storage system with its upper housingcover removed;

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of a data storage system comprising aplurality of data storage disks;

FIG. 3 is an exaggerated side view showing a data storage diskexhibiting various surface defects and features, and a thermal signaland magnetic spacing signal response of an MR head to such defects andfeatures;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a disk in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a read element of a transducer shown in anon-track orientation over the centerline of a track of the disk;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a thermal position error signal associatedwith the MR elements of the transducer passing over tracks on the disk;

FIG. 7 is a generalized block diagram of the system components forpositioning an MR head using the thermal signals of the MR elements inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an apparatus for extracting a thermalsignal and a magnetic signal from a readback signal induced in an MRhead;

FIG. 9 is a showing of a readback signal induced in an MR headexhibiting a distorted D.C. baseline;

FIG. 10 is a showing of the readback signal of FIG. 9 exhibiting arestored D.C. baseline after being processed by a signalseparation/modulation module;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a signal separation/modulation module forextracting a thermal signal and a magnetic signal from a readback signalinduced in an MR head;

FIG. 12(a) is a showing of a thermal signal extracted from a readbacksignal induced in an MR head at a particular track location, and

FIG. 12(b) a readback signal obtained from the same track location afterAC erasure;

FIGS. 13(a)-13(c) respectively illustrate a readback signal induced inan MR head, a restored magnetic signal component of the readback signal,and an unrestored magnetic signal component of the readback signal;

FIGS. 14 and 15 respectively illustrate the phase and magnitude responseof a finite impulse response (FIR) filter and a windowed FIR filter usedin a signal separation/restoration module;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are illustrations of a conventional MR head;

FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b) respectively illustrate the magnitude and phaseresponse of the highpass filtering behavior of a typical Arm Electronics(AE) module;

FIGS. 19 and 20 respectively show a comparison of the magnitude andphase response of the highpass filtering behavior of a typical AE moduleand that of an inverse filter having a transfer function inverse to thatof the effective highpass filter of the AE module;

FIG. 21 is a signal flow diagram representative of the inverse filter ofFIGS. 19 and 20;

FIG. 22 is a block diagram of another embodiment of a signalseparation/restoration module employing an infinite impulse response(IIR) filter;

FIGS. 23(a)-23(c) show three waveforms produced at different processingpoints within the signal separation/restoration module of FIG. 22; and

FIG. 24 is a comparative showing of a restored magnetic signal andthermal signal indicating the presence of a bump on a disk surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2,there is shown a data storage system 20 with its cover (not shown)removed from the base 22 of the housing 21. The data storage system 20typically includes one or more rigid data storage disks 24 which rotateabout a spindle motor 26. An actuator assembly 37 typically includes aplurality of interleaved actuator arms 30, with each arm supporting oneor more suspensions 28 and transducers 27. The transducers 27 typicallyinclude a magnetoresistive (MR) element for reading and writinginformation to and from the data storage disks 24. The transducer 27 maybe, for example, an MR head having a write element and an MR readelement. The actuator assembly 37 includes a coil assembly 36 whichcooperates with a permanent magnet structure 38 to operate as anactuator voice coil motor (VCM) 39 responsive to control signalsproduced by a controller 58. The controller 58 preferably includescontrol circuity that coordinates the transfer of data to and from thedata storage disks 24, and cooperates with the VCM 39 to move theactuator arms 30, suspensions 28, and transducers 27 to prescribed track50 and sector 52 locations when reading and writing data to and from thedisks 24.

In FIG. 3, there is illustrated an exaggerated side view of an MR headslider 79 flying in proximity with the surface 24a of a magnetic datastorage disk 24. The disk surface 24a has a generally varying topographyat the microscopic level, and often includes various surface defects,such as a pit 122, a bump 124, or a surface portion 126 void of magneticmaterial. It has been determined by the inventors that the thermalresponse of an MR head 77 changes as a function of the spacing, denotedby the parameter y, between the MR element 78 of the MR head 77 and thedisk surface 24a. Head-to-disk spacing changes result in concomitantchanges in heat transfer between the MR element 78 and disk 24. Thisheat transfer results in an alteration in the temperature of the MRelement 78. Temperature changes in the MR element 78 result incorresponding changes in the electrical resistance of the MR element 78and, therefore, the output voltage of the MR element 78.

As the instantaneous head-to-disk spacing (y) increases, there results acorresponding increase in air space insulation between the MR head 77and the disk surface 24a, thereby causing an increase in the temperatureof the MR element 78. This temperature increase in the MR element 78results in a corresponding increase in the MR element 78 resistance dueto the positive temperature coefficient of the MR element materialtypically used to fabricate the MR element 78. Permalloy, for example,is a preferred material used to fabricate the MR element 78 anddemonstrates a temperature coefficient of +3×10⁻³ /° C. An MR head 77passing over a bump 124 on the disk surface 24a, by way of example,results in increased heat transfer occurring between the MR element 78and the disk surface 24a, thereby causing cooling of the MR element 78.Such cooling of the MR element 78 causes a decrease in the MR elementresistance which, in turn, results in a corresponding decrease in thevoltage v_(TH) across the MR element 78 at a constant bias current.

It can be seen by referring to the pit 122 depicted on the disk surface24a that the thermal voltage signal v_(TH) 119 across the MR elementincreases in amplitude as a function of increasing head-to-diskseparation distance (y). It can further be seen by referring to the bump124 depicted on the disk surface 24a that the thermal voltage signalv_(TH) 119 decreases in amplitude as a function of decreasinghead-to-disk separation distance. The thermal signal component of thereadback signal, therefore, is in fact an information signal that can beused to detect the presence and relative magnitude of topographicalvariations in the surface of a magnetic data storage disk 24.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is a magnetic spacing signal 121 which has beenconditioned to correspond to variations in the disk surface 24a. It canbe seen that the magnetic spacing signal 121 incorrectly indicates thepresence of some surface features, such as magnetic voids 126, asvariations in the topography of the disk surface 24a. It can further beseen that the magnetic spacing signal 121 provides an inferiorindication of other surface features, such as bumps, when compared todisk surface imaging information provided by use of the thermal signal119.

As described more fully below, the thermal component of an MR elementreadback signal may be extracted to obtain information regarding surfacecharacteristics of the rotating disk 24. In accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the invention, servo information is encoded in a surfaceprofile of the disk 24 and is read using a transducer having an MRelement, e.g., an MR head. As will be appreciated from the exemplaryembodiments described below, because the servo information is providedin the profile of the disk and can be read concurrently withmagnetically stored data, an additional 15%-20% of the disk is madeavailable to store data (i.e., the portion of the disk previously usedfor embedded magnetic servo information).

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary disk 24 having pre-embossed or stampedtrack markers 108 and sector markers 106 for providing servo informationon the disk in the form of variations in head-to-disk spacing. The disk24 is provided with data tracks 50 used to store data. Each track 50 maybe partitioned into a series of sectors 52 identified by sector markers106. Adjacent tracks 50 are separated by track markers 108. The trackmarkers 108 and the sector markers 106 are formed as variations in thedisk which can be identified using the thermal component of the MR headreadback signal. As best shown in FIG. 4, the track markers 108 may becircumferential grooves, and the sector markers 106 may be radialgrooves. The grooves may be as narrow as one (1) micron and providehead-to-disk spacing variations between adjacent data tracks 50 andsectors 52. As described more fully below, the head-to-disk spacingvariations formed by the grooves are used to provide servo information.The disk 24 is also provided with a calibration track 110 and an indexmarker 112 which may be formed by a closely spaced pair of sectormarkers 106. The purpose of the calibration track 110 and the indexmarker 112 will later become apparent.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown an illustration of a dual elementmagnetoresistive (MR) head 80 oriented over the centerline 51 of a track50. As the MR head 80 passes over the track 50 of the rotating disk 24,magnetic transitions developed on the disk 24 surface result in theproduction of a readback signal induced in the MR head 80. By way ofexample, and not of limitation, the readback signal is preferably avoltage signal.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the MR head 80 includestwo MR elements 80a and 80b mounted side by side. By using the thermalcomponent of a readback signal obtained from each of the MR elements 80aand 80b, servo positioning information can be obtained from the profileof disk 24. The thermal signals obtained from each element 80a and 80bare be used to generate servo control information such as a positionerror signal (PES signal). Such a PES signal is provided to a controllerwhich uses the PES signal to position the actuator arm 30 andconsequently the MR head 80 over a desired track location. A PES signalgenerated using two side-by-side MR elements 80a and 80b which areassumed to have equal thermal sensitivity may be expressed by therelationship: ##EQU1## where t_(a) and t_(b) represent the integratedpeak values of the thermal signals from MR elements 80a and 80b,respectively.

In FIG. 6, a PES signal produced by dual element MR head 80 crossingover disk 24 is depicted. With reference to FIG. 5, the PES signal ofFIG. 6 corresponds to a disk 24 having the following parameters:

Track pitch P=4.8 microns

Track width M=3.2 microns

Track height D=0.2 microns

Valley width at bottom U=0.48 microns

MR element A width Wa=2.4 microns

MR element B width Wb=2.4 microns

Element-to-element centerline spacing C=2.4 microns

As noted above, the PES signal of FIG. 6 assumes equal thermalsensitivities of the two MR elements 80a and 80b. In practice, however,the thermal sensitivities of MR elements may differ due to differencesin dimensions, recession, shield spacing and dimensions, MR lead thermalconduction, and other characteristics of the two MR elements, forexample. The thermal response of the two MR elements 80a and 80b may becalibrated as discussed more fully hereinbelow.

When calibrated, a dual element MR head 80 generates a PES waveform thatexhibits linear behavior between minima and maxima as shown in FIG. 6.With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, when the two MR elements 80a and 80bare centered over a track 50, t_(a) and t_(b) are equal, therebyproducing a PES signal equal to zero. As the MR head 80 moves from thecenter of the track, the values t_(a) and t_(b) change and the PESsignal shows an inflection point that corresponds approximately to theedges of the track 50. The inflection points are useful for determiningtrack edges and for counting tracks during seek operations. It should beappreciated, that the magnetic component of the readback signal obtainedusing the MR elements 80a and 80b can also be used to determine trackedges as the head moves over a groove between adjacent tracks since themagnetic signal will contain large dropouts over groove crossings. Sucha dropout in the magnetic signal may be used to count tracks during aseek operation.

It should further be appreciated that MR elements 80a and 80b need notbe positioned side by side, provided the PES signal relationship isproperly modified to account for the different location of MR elements.It will also be appreciated that more than two MR elements may be used.

In FIG. 7, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of servo controlsystem 200 using thermal responses of a dual element MR head 80 to servoposition the MR head 80 over a data track 50. The servo control systemincludes an amplifier 202, two samplers 206, 208, two filters 210, 212,a demodulation and adaptive calibration circuit 214, a controller 250,two drivers 216, 218, a magnetic separator 260, and a time differencer220.

In operation, the readback signals 81 and 83 from MR elements 80a and80b are amplified, for example, by a dual path Arm Electronics (AE)module 202. The amplified readback signals 203 and 205 are sampled bysamplers 206, 208 at a sampling rate N to produce first and secondreadback signals 207 and 209. A typical sampling rate N will be inexcess of 100 megahertz (MHz). Readback signals 207 and 209 are low-passfiltered, for example, by finite impulse response (FIR) filters 210, 212to generate thermal signals 211 and 213. Thermal signals 211 and 213represent the thermal components t_(a) (n) and t_(b) (n) of the readbacksignals as introduced above.

Thermal signals 211 and 213 are subsampled at a sampling rate M bysubsamplers 230 and 232. The sampling rate M is typically much lowerthan the sampling rate N of samplers 206, 208. The sampling index m,i.e, the ratio of sampling rate N to sampling rate M, may be 500, forexample. The use of subsamplers with a slower sampling rate reduces thecost of the system without any loss in accuracy since the thermalsignals 211 and 213 can be sampled at a lower rate than magneticcomponents of readback signals 203, 205 due to the lower mechanicalbandwidth requirement for the actuator assembly 37.

Subsampled thermal signals 231 and 233 are provided to the demodulationand adaptive calibration circuit 214 which generates a position errorsignal (PES) 215 according to the relationship: ##EQU2## where t₂₃₁ andt₂₃₃ represent thermal signals 231 and 233 respectively.

The demodulation and adaptive calibration circuit 214 adjusts theamplitudes of thermal signals 231 and 233 with predetermined calibrationcoefficients k₁ and k₂ in multipliers 240 and 242. Calibrationcoefficients k₁ and k₂ are provided to adjust for the different thermalsensitivities of the MR elements 80a and 80b. The numerator of theposition error signal PES(m) relationship is produced by a differencer244 and the denominator of the PES(m) relationship is produced by asummer 246. The position error signal PES(m) may be averaged over Lsamples for noise smoothing purposes. For example, the position errorsignal PES(l) may be expressed by the following relationship: ##EQU3##where a realistic value for L could be 10. Thus, the position errorsignal may be generated once per M×L samples of the readback signal. Forexample, if the readback signal was sampled at a rate N of 100 MHz andthe sampling index m was 500, then the position error signal PES(l)would be generated at a 20 KHz rate. The position error signalrelationship and calibration may be handled by microcode in ademodulator and adaptive calibrator 248.

The PES signal 215, is provided to controller 250 which outputs acontrol signal 251 in response to the PES signal 215 and the operatingmode, for example track seek, settle or follow. The control signal 251is provided to a driver 206, which converts the control signal 251 to ananalog signal and generates a continuous current for the voice coilmotor 39 to move the actuator.

Readback signals 207 and 209 are also provided to the data channel andused to drive the spindle motor 26. Readback signals 207 and 209 areprovided to a magnetic separator 260 which removes the thermalcomponents of readback signals 207 and 209 and generates a magneticsignal 261 for use by the data channel. The magnetic signal 261 isgenerated by summing and equalizing the magnetic components of thereadback signals 207 and 209. The magnetic separator 260 also generatesa magnetic timing signal 263, which is provided for a time difference220. The magnetic timing signal 263 is generated from the dropouts inthe readback signals 207 and 209 which occur as the MR head 80 passesover sector markers 106. The time difference 220, which may include aphase-lock loop, compares the magnetic timing signal 263 to a referencesignal 271 provided by an oscillator 270 to generate a differentialdynamic timing signal 221. The timing signal 221 is provided for adriver 218 which uses the timing signal to provide current 219 to thespindle motor 26 so as to maintain the appropriate rotational velocityof the disk.

Although the magnetic signal 263 is used for timing and motor control,it should be appreciated that thermal signals could also be used.Magnetic signal dropouts achieve much higher signal-to-noise ratio thanthermal signal dropouts and thus allow for narrower sector marker 106widths. For example, using the magnetic dropout allows sector markerwidths of about 1 micron or less. The thermal signals require widersector markers 106 as the thermal time constant of an MR head 80 islonger.

It should be appreciated that the thermal signals of an MR head 80 canbe sampled concurrently with the magnetic signal. Thus, continuous trackfollow servo control, for example, may be implemented. Unliketraditional magnetic servoing techniques, thermal servoing can reachsampling rates in excess of 100 kilohertz (KHz) The higher samplingrates of thermal servoing provide for smaller actuator coil currents.Moreover, due to the mechanical inertia of the actuator assembly 30,these small currents are integrated to produce very smooth motions,thereby reducing actuator jerk. The finer actuator control allows forhigher track densities and significantly improves the detection of shockand vibration in a disk. Moreover, for predictive failure analysis (PFA)purposes, any defect on a disk which might potentially create trackmisregistration (TMR) can be detected. Similarly, any random MR head 80modulation, e.g. modulation caused by an MR head 80 that is not liftingoff the disk, can be detected.

It should further be appreciated that the PES signal, from which theservo information is obtained, is generated from thermal signals which,in turn, are derived from head-to-disk spacing. In the illustratedembodiment, the servo information is obtained from sensing the changesin the thermal signal that result from the MR head 80 passing over thecircumferential grooves. The change in head-to-disk spacing can also beaccomplished by elevated portions between tracks 50, though grooves arepreferred because they permit operation of the storage system 20 withminimal spacing between the MR head 80 and the data tracks 50. Inalternate embodiments of the present invention, servo information can bederived from other variations in disk characteristics which can bereflected in the thermal component of the readback signal. For example,variations in disk-to-MR head heat transfer parameters such as thermalemissivity of a disk 24 may be employed as servo information. Thus,rather than adjacent tracks 50 being separated by topographical changes,track markers 108 could separate tracks 50 by thermal emissivity changesor other parameters reflected in the thermal component of the readbacksignal. Similar variations in disk characteristics can be used for thesector markers 106.

As noted above, calibration coefficients k₁ and k₂ are provided for eachMR head 80 to adjust for different thermal sensitivities of MR elements80a and 80b. A calibration method may be performed which involvesmeasuring the thermal sensitivity of MR elements 80a and 80b andadjusting the gain values k₁ and k₂ so that the gain-adjusted thermalresponses of each element 80a and 80b are equal for a common input.

An exemplary calibration procedure for a multiple disk storage deviceinvolves the following steps. First, all MR heads 80 of the storagedevice are moved to the calibration track 110 of their respective disk24. The calibration track 110 may be provided anywhere on the disk 24,for example, at the inner diameter crash stop of the disk 24, as shownin FIG. 4, or the outer diameter crash stop of the disk 24. Thecalibration track 110 should be wide enough to accommodate mechanicaltolerances, such as disk runout, and wide enough such that when MR head80 is centered over the calibration track 110, neither MR element 80a or80b senses a track marker 108.

Next an MR head 80 is selected and calibration coefficients k₁ and k₂are set to one. The disk 24 associated with the selected MR head 80 isspun. As disk 24 spins about its axis, MR elements 80a and 80b sense acommon input, i.e. periodic sector markers 106. A thermally detectablewidth for sector markers 106 in the calibration track 110 is 50-100microns. It is noted that the sector marker 106 width in the data tracks50 need not be as wide as their widths in the calibration track if thesector markers 106 in the data tracks 50 are magnetically detected fortracking counting purposes as discussed above. The peak amplitudes ofthe thermal signals of the MR elements 80a and 80b of the selected MRhead 80 are determined and adjusted by calibration gains k₁ and k₂respectively such that the two amplitudes are equal. The peak amplitudescorrespond to sector marker 106 crossings and may be obtained from thestatistical average of many sector marker 106 crossings. Calibrationgains k₁ and k₂ for the selected MR head 80 are then stored in a randomaccess memory (RAM) and used by the demodulation and adaptivecalibration 248 as discussed hereinabove. The calibration process isrepeated for another MR head 80 until all MR heads 80 in the storagedevice have been calibrated.

It is noted that using pre-embossed disks requires that the servoinformation be formed on the disk prior to assembly into the disk drive.When multiple disks are used, the alignment of servo information fromdisk to disk must be taken into account. For example, due to mechanicaltolerances in multiple disk drives, it is unlikely that the indexmarkers 112 of the disks 24 will be aligned throughout the disk pack.Thus, the relative position of the index markers 112 in a disk pack mustbe determined. A timing calibration method for determining the positionof all of the index markers 112 of the disks 24 in a disk pack may beperformed. The timing calibration procedure includes identifying theindex marker 112 of a first, reference disk 24 and measuring the timedifference (including head switch time) between the reference disk 24index marker 112 and an index marker 112 of a second disk 24. This isrepeated until the relative position of all index markers 112, andtherefor sectors 52, is established. Advantageously, the relative timingcalibration can be performed simultaneously with the thermal signalcalibration.

Since thermally obtained servo information is independent of themagnetic signal, in accordance with another embodiment of the inventionthe thermal component of a readback signal of an MR head 80 can be usedto servo position the MR head 80 while the head is writing. Servopositioning while performing a write operation can be accomplished bycompensating for the temperature and corresponding resistance change ofthe MR elements 80a and 80b which is created by the writing fieldgenerated by the write element. The amount of compensation may bedetermined using known information about the data being written. Aftercompensation, the thermal signals can be extracted and used for servopositioning as previously described. The continuous nature of the servoposition sensing, i.e., sensing during reading and writing, eliminatesthe need to use accelerometers or other external sensors to monitorshock and vibration in a drive.

For purposes of providing an understanding of an apparatus and methodfor extracting a thermal signal component and a magnetic signalcomponent from a readback signal induced in an MR head 80, reference ismade to FIGS. 8-24. Referring to FIG. 8, there is illustrated anapparatus for reading an information signal, having a magnetic signalcomponent and a thermal signal component, from a magnetic storage mediumand for separating the thermal and magnetic signal components from theinformation signal. An MR head 80 is shown in close proximity with asurface of a data storage disk 24. The readback signal induced in the MRhead 80 is typically amplified by the AE module 202. Filtering of thereadback signal by the AE module 202 may also be performed. As shown ingraphical form at the output of the AE module 202, the analog readbacksignal 460, containing a relatively high frequency magnetic signalcomponent 461a, exhibits a distorted D.C. baseline due to the presenceof a low frequency modulating signal component. It is appreciated bythose skilled in the art that a modulated readback signal 460, or moreparticularly, a modulated magnetic signal component 461a of the readbacksignal 460 has long been identified as a source of a number of datastorage system maladies, including servo control errors andinaccuracies, a reduction in data storing and retrieving reliability,and, in some cases, an irretrievable loss of data.

It has been discovered by the inventors that the readback signal 460 isa composite signal comprising independent magnetic and thermal signalcomponents, and that the low frequency modulating readback signalbaseline is in actuality an independent thermal signal component of thereadback signal 460. It has further been determined by the inventors, aswill also be discussed in detail hereinbelow, that the undesirablereadback signal 460 modulation can be eliminated or substantiallyreduced in magnitude, thus providing for a pure magnetic signalrepresentative of data or servo information.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, there is respectively illustrated a distortedreadback signal and an undistorted readback signal restored by a signalseparation/restoration module 476 as shown in FIG. 8. The signalseparation/restoration module 476 processes the readback signal 460 torestore the readback signal baseline, as shown in FIG. 10, byeliminating the undesirable baseline modulation, thereby producing apure, unperturbed magnetic signal 461b. It is noted that the signalseparation/restoration module 476 generally represents the readbacksignal filter apparatus of the servo control system 200 illustrated inFIG. 7 needed to extract the thermal signal from the readback signal.

The independence of the magnetic signal and the thermal signal isdemonstrated by the waveforms shown in FIG. 12. The waveform shown inFIG. 12(a) represents the thermal signal extracted from a compositereadback signal using an MR head and a digital filter configured as alow pass filter. After the waveform shown in FIG. 12(a) was obtained,the track from which the waveform was generated was subject to ACerasure. The same MR head was moved to the same track location of theerased track to obtain the waveform shown in FIG. 12(b). It can be seenthat the extracted thermal signal shown in FIG. 12(a) and the readbacksignal derived from the erased track shown in FIG. 12(b) aresubstantially identical. The two waveforms provided in FIG. 12 verifythat the two simultaneously read thermal and magnetic signals areindependent and separable.

Referring to FIG. 11, there is illustrated an embodiment of a signalseparation/restoration module 476 discussed previously with respect toFIG. 8. It is to be understood that the signal separation/restorationmodule 476 may be employed to perform the single task of separating theindependent magnetic signal from the readback signal 460 in order toremove the low frequency modulation component of the readback signal 460attributed to thermal signal influences. In another embodiment, thesignal separation/restoration module 476 may be employed to perform thedual tasks of separating the magnetic signal component from the readbacksignal 460 to remove low frequency thermal signal component, and, inaddition, extracting the thermal signal, thus making available forsubsequent processing both the pure magnetic signal and pure thermalsignal in independent form.

As shown in FIG. 11, a readback signal is sensed by the MR head 80situated in close proximity with a magnetic data storage disk 24. In oneembodiment, a readback signal received from the AE module 202 from theMR head 80 is converted from analog form to digital form by ananalog-to-digital converter 206. The digitized readback signal is thencommunicated to a delay device 486 and to a programmable filter 488. Theprogrammable filter 488 is a finite impulse response (FIR) filter havinga length N, where N represents the number of impulse responsecoefficients or taps of the programmable filter 488. The readback signalapplied to the input of the programmable filter 488 is subject to atotal signal delay corresponding to the length N of the programmablefilter 488 as the readback signal passes through the programmable filter488.

In accordance with this embodiment, the programmable filter 488 isprogrammed with appropriate tap coefficients and weights so as to passthe relatively low frequency thermal signal component of the readbacksignal and to filter out the relatively high frequency magnetic signalcomponent. As such, the programmable filter 488 is configured as a lowpass filter and programmed to pass the thermal signal which can begenerally characterized as a medium frequency signal with much of itsenergy in the frequency range of approximately 10 kilohertz (KHz) toapproximately 100-200 KHz. It is noted that the magnetic signalcomponent of the readback signal has a frequency ranging betweenapproximately 20 megahertz (MHz) and 100 MHz. The thermal signal 480 atthe output of the programmable filter 488 is communicated to a signalsumming device 490. From the output of the programmable filter 488, thethermal signal 480 may be transmitted to other components in the datastorage system, such as a servo control for purposes of controllingtrack following and track seeking operations.

The delay device 486 receives the readback signal 460 from theanalog-to-digital converter 206 and delays the transmission of thereadback signal to the signal summing device 490 by a duration of timeequivalent to the delay time required for the readback signal 460 topass through the programmable filter 488. As such, the readback signal460, containing both magnetic and thermal signal components, and thethermal signal 480, extracted from the readback signal by theprogrammable filter 488, arrive at the signal summing device 490 atsubstantially the same time. The signal summing device 490 performs ademodulation operation on the readback signal 460 and thermal signal 80to produce a restored readback signal 478. Thus, the signalseparation/restoration module 476 illustrated in the embodiment depictedin FIG. 11 provides for the separation of the magnetic and thermalsignal components of a composite readback signal and, additionally,produces a non-distorted restored magnetic readback signal 478. For moredetails on designing, implementing, and programming a FIR filter for usein the signal separation/restoration module 476, reference is made to E.C. Ifeachor, B. W. Jervis, "Digital Signal Processing" (Addison-WesleyPublishing Company, Inc. 1993).

Returning to FIGS. 9 and 10, the modulated readback signal 460 shown inFIG. 9 represents the appearance of the readback signal prior to beingprocessed by the signal separation/restoration module 476. Therepresentation of the readback signal in FIG. 10 is a showing of thereadback signal of FIG. 9 after being processed by the signalseparation/restoration module 476. The undesirable influence of thethermal signal component of the distorted readback signal shown in FIG.9 was eliminated by employing a 9-tap FIR filter in the signalseparation/restoration module 476 in order to produce the restoredmagnetic readback signal 478 shown in FIG. 10. The magnitude and phasecharacteristics of the 9-tap FIR filter utilized to produce the restoredmagnetic readback signal 48 shown in FIG. 10 are illustrated in FIG. 14.

In particular, it can be seen in FIG. 14 (b) that the 9-tap filterexhibits perfect linear phase response over the frequency range ofinterest. The effectiveness of the 9-tap FIR filter in eliminating thebaseline shift or modulation of the readback signal is demonstrated inFIG. 13. FIG. 13(a) shows a readback signal demonstrating an unstable ortime-varying baseline. In FIG. 13(b), the modulating baseline of thereadback signal apparent in FIG. 13 (a) has been eliminated afterpassing the distorted readback signal through an appropriatelyprogrammed 9-tap FIR filter. The tap weights for the 9-tap filter usedto restore the baseline of the readback signal was defined to includetap weights of:

    b(i)=(1/9)*(-1, -1, -1, 8, -1, -1, -1, -1),

or

    b(i)=(-0.111, -0.111, -0.111, -0.111, 0.889, -0.111, -0.111, -0.111, -0.111)

The waveform shown in FIG. 13(c) was produced by passing the modulatedreadback signal shown in FIG. 13(a) through a conventional highpassButterworth filter, which is a single-pole highpass filter. It can beseen that the undesirable modulating baseline of the readback signal isnot significantly reduced in magnitude after passing the readback signalthrough a conventional highpass filter.

As previously indicated, the magnitude and phase characteristics of the9-tap FIR filter used to restore the baseline of the readback signal asshown in FIG. 13(b) are respectively shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b). Itcan be seen in FIG. 14(a) that some degree of ripple may occur in thepassband of the filter which may be eliminated by applying a windowfunction to the tap weights of the 9-tap FIR filter. By way of example,a Hamming window can be applied to the tap weights of the 9-tap FIRfilter to produce a windowed restore filter having the following tapweights:

    b(i)=(-0.0089, -0.0239, -0.06, -0.0961, 0.8889, -0.0961, -0.06, -0.0239, -0.0089,)

The output of the 9-tap windowed FIR filter having the above-listed tapweights results in the elimination of the ripple as shown in FIG. 15(a).As further shown in FIG. 15(b), the windowed 9-tap FIR filter retainsits perfect linear phase response. It is noted that applying a windowfunction, such as a Hamming window, to the tap weights of theprogrammable FIR filter 488 allows for a non-zero DC gain and someincrease in low frequency response.

Turning now to FIGS. 19-24, there is illustrated another embodiment of asignal separation/restoration module 476. In the design of an AE module202 as illustrated in FIG. 8, it is often desirable to include ahighpass filter in conjunction with a preamplifier for purposes ofrejecting the relatively low frequency signal content of the compositereadback signal produced by the MR head 80. The highpass filter of theAE module 202 distorts both in amplitude and phase the thermal signalcomponent of the composite readback signal. The magnitude of the thermalsignal distortion due to the highpass filter varies in severitydepending on the frequency and phase response of the particular highpassfilter employed.

By way of example, a highpass filter suitable for use in an AE module202 may have a cutoff frequency of approximately 500 KHz and exhibitnon-linear phase behavior. The frequencies associated with head-to-diskspacing changes, however, typically range below 200 KHz. Moreover, thethermal signal of a readback signal typically has a frequency rangingbetween 10 KHz to approximately 100 KHz. It can be appreciated that ahighpass filter having a cutoff frequency of approximately 500 KHz willsignificantly distort the amplitude and phase of the thermal signalcomponent of the readback signal. The magnetic signal component of thereadback signal, however, remains unaffected by the highpass filtersince the frequency range for the magnetic signal is generally some 20to 40 times that of the highpass filter cutoff frequency.

In FIGS. 19(a) and 19(b), there is respectively illustrated graphsshowing the magnitude and phase response of the highpass filteringbehavior of a typical AE module 202. The highpass filter has a cutofffrequency of approximately 500 KHz. The transfer function for thehighpass filter having a single pole at 500 KHz and the magnitude andphase response illustrated in FIG. 19 can be defined as: ##EQU4## where:b_(h) (1)=0.9876

b_(h) (2)=-0.9876

a_(h) (2)=-0.9752

The distortion to the amplitude and phase of a thermal signal introducedby the highpass filter of the AE module 202 is effectively eliminated byuse of an inverse filter having a transfer function inverse to that ofthe highpass filter. Passing the readback signal output from the AEmodule 202 through the inverse filter restores the thermal signal to itsoriginal form, both in amplitude and phase. For example, the transferfunction of an inverse filter for conditioning a readback signal passedthrough a highpass filter having the above-described transfer functionof equation [4] is: ##EQU5##

The magnitude and phase response for the highpass filter of the AEmodule 202 and the inverse filter described above are respectivelyplotted in FIGS. 20 and 21. In particular, the magnitude response of theinverse filter and the highpass filter of the AE module 202 isrespectively shown as curves 570 and 572 in FIG. 20. The phase responseof the inverse filter and highpass filter is respectively shown ascurves 576 and 574.

In one embodiment, an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter isprogrammed to respond as an inverse filter for purposes of restoring thethermal signal content of a highpass filtered readback signal. Althoughan analog filter can be employed in an alternative embodiment, an IIRfilter provides a number of advantages well-suited for use as an inversefilter for purposes of restoring the amplitude and phase of a thermalsignal distorted by the highpass filter behavior of the AE module 202.

The signal flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 21 is representative of afirst order IIR filter configured as an inverse filter. The coefficientsassociated with the signal flow graph of FIG. 21 for a first order IIRinverse filter having a transfer function given by equation [5] aboveare:

a₁ =0.9876

a₂ =-0.9876

b₁ =0.1

b₂ =-0.9752

In FIG. 23, there is illustrated three waveforms that demonstrate theeffectiveness of the inverse filter for restoring the original amplitudeand phase of the thermal signal component of a readback signal that hasbeen passed through a highpass filter. In FIG. 23(a), there is shown areadback signal detected from a pit in a data storage disk surface. Thereadback signal shown in FIG. 23(a) was detected from a track written ata 20 MHz write frequency. The readback signal was sampled at 100 MHzwith 8-bit resolution. The graph shown in FIG. 23(b) represents thecalculated peak-to-peak magnitude of the readback signal of FIG. 23(a).The signal shown in FIG. 23(b), accordingly, represents the magneticspacing signal 160 which clearly shows a loss of magnetic signal due tothe MR read element passing over the pit. FIG. 23(c) illustrates thethermal signal component of the readback signal after having been passedthrough the highpass filter 550 of the AE module 202. It can be seen bycomparing the waveforms of FIGS. 23(b) and 23(c) that the magneticspacing information and thermal spacing information do not correspondclosely with one another because of the distortion to the thermal signalcomponent caused by the highpass filter 550, which has essentiallydifferentiated the thermal signal. For more details on designing,implementing, and programming an IIR filter for use as an inversefilter, reference is made to E. C. Ifeachor, B. W. Jervis, "DigitalSignal Processing" (Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. 1993).

In FIG. 24, the thermal spacing signal 562 processed by the inversefilter 556 and mean filter 558 is illustrated together with the magneticspacing signal 560 passed through the digital filter 552 and log device554. It is noted that the linearized magnetic spacing signal 560 istypically calculated by taking the logarithm of the peak-to-peak signaland then multiplied by the known sensitivity of the output voltagechange to magnetic spacing change in accordance with the well-knownWallace equation. It can be seen in FIG. 24 that except for a differencein signal height and a slightly longer time constant associated with thethermal spacing signal 562, a magnetic spacing signal 560 and thermalspacing signal 562 describe a disk surface pit. Thus, the integratingeffect that the inverse filter 556 on the distorted thermal signal shownin FIG. 23(c) provides for a correct thermal spacing signal 562 to beproduced.

Referring to FIG. 22, there is shown in block diagram form a system forprocessing a readback signal to obtain magnetic and thermal head-to-diskspacing information. A readback signal is detected from the disk surface24 by the MR head 80. It is assumed that the readback signal is acomposite signal containing both magnetic and thermal signal components.The readback signal detected by the MR head 80 is communicated to the AEmodule 202 and then to a highpass filter 550. The highpass filter 550 isshown as a component external to the AE module 202. In general practice,however, the highpass filter 550 is incorporated into the AE module 202.The transfer function of the highpass filter is denoted as H_(O).

The output signal from the highpass filter 550 is sampled by ananalog-to-digital converter 551 to create digitized samples of thehighpass filtered readback signal. The digitized readback signal is thencommunicated to the inverse filter 556 which corrects for the distortionintroduced by the highpass filter 550 of the AE module 202. The transferfunction of the inverse filter 556 is denoted as H_(O) ⁻¹. The mean ofthe signal passed through the inverse filter 556 is obtained by digitalfiltering using a mean filter 558 to produce a thermal signal which islinearly related to the head-to-disk spacing.

The readback signal provided at the output of the analog-to-digitalconverter 551 may also be communicated to a digital filter 552, such asa FIR filter, that extracts the peak-to-peak amplitude of the readbacksignal so as to extract the magnetic signal component from the readbacksignal. The logarithm of the magnetic signal is obtained by passing themagnetic signal through the log device 554, which produces a magneticsignal that is linearly related to the head-to-disk spacing. Havingextracted both the magnetic and thermal spacing signals 560 and 562,respectively, the thermal signal can be calibrated since the magneticcalibration is known and only depends on the recorded wavelength of thesignal. It is important to note that both the magnetic and thermalspacing signals 560 and 562 are linearly proportional to thehead-to-disk spacing (y).

In order to more fully appreciate the various aspects of the presentinvention, a brief discussion of a conventional MR head is provided. Thegeneral layout of the principle elements in a typical merged MR head 600is illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17. The illustrations are not drawn toscale, but rather are provided to illustrate the relative orientation ofthe various MR head elements. The MR head includes a pair of shields 601and 603. An MR element 602 is located between the shields 601 and 603.The MR element 602 operates as a read element of the MR head 600.

Element 603 in conjunction with element 604 form a thin film magnetichead functioning as a write element for the MR head 600. Elements 603and 604 operate respectively as first and second magnetic poles of thethin film write element. The dual function of element 603 (i.e., actingas a first pole of the write element and as a second shield) results inthe merged nature of the MR head 600. Insulation layers (not shown forpurposes of clarity), such as glass, are typically formed between thevarious elements of the MR head 600.

As further depicted in FIGS. 16 and 17, the first shield 601, MR element602, and second shield 603 extend upward from the surface 501A of a disk501 in respective vertical planes. The second pole 604 is not shown inFIG. 16 for purposes of clarity. The planes of the elements areillustrated parallel running in the direction of the plane of the page.In the illustrations, the plane of the first pole/second shield 603 isclosest, followed by the MR element 602, with the first shield 601 beingfurthest away. Also depicted, are the negative and positive MR leads701A and 701B, respectively. These leads are formed in a plane betweenthe first shield 301 and the first pole/second shield 603. The leads701A and 701B are electrically coupled to the MR element 602 in a knownmanner and operate in the normal fashion. Connected to leads 701A and701B, are extended leads 705A and 705B, respectively. The extended leads705A and 705B have connection points 707A and 707B which arerespectively connected to lead wires 709A and 709B which, in turn, areconnected to a preamplifier module 711.

The physical phenomena that generates the thermal voltage responsev_(TH) across the MR head element 602 is that as the instantaneoushead-to-disk spacing increases, there is more air space between the head600 and the disk surface 501A causing the MR element 602 to heat up.This heating cause the MR head 600 resistance to increase due to thepositive temperature coefficient of the material constituting the MRelement 602. For example, permalloy has temperature coefficient of+3×10⁻³ /° C. as mentioned previously. At a constant bias current, thevoltage v_(TH) across the MR element 602 resistance will increase. Ifthe MR element 602 comes in close proximity to the disk surface 501A,more heat transfer will occur between the MR element 602 and the disksurface 501A causing cooling of the MR element 602. The resultinglowering of the MR head 600 resistance will lower the voltage v_(TH)across the MR element 602 at a constant bias current.

It will, of course, be understood that various modifications andadditions can be made to the embodiments discussed hereinabove withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the present invention. Forexample, the servo positioning method and apparatus may be employed insystems employing optical data disks, or disks having spiralled or othernon-concentric track configurations. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent invention should not be limited to the particular embodimentsdiscussed above, but should be defined only by the full and fair scopeof the claims set forth below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of calibrating the thermal sensitivityof two magnetoresistive (MR) elements of a MR head in a storage systemhaving at least one disk and at least one MR head, the method comprisingthe steps of:moving said MR head to a calibration track; inducing firstand second thermal signals in said MR elements; adjusting the gain ofsaid first and second thermal signals so that said first and secondthermal signals are equal.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, whereinsaid inducing step includes the step of passing said MR head over sectormarkers provided around said calibrated track.
 3. A method as recited inclaim 1, further comprising the step of determining first and secondpeak amplitudes of said thermal signals, wherein said adjusting includesadjusting the gain of said first and second peak amplitudes.
 4. A methodas recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting an MRhead for calibration.
 5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein saidadjusting includes the step of multiplying said first and second thermalsignals by multipliers, said multipliers being saved in a random accessmemory.
 6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the stepsof:identifying an index marker of a first disk; identifying an indexmarker of a second disk; and measuring the time difference betweenidentifying said first disk index marker and said second disk indexmarker.
 7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said identifyingsteps and said measuring step are performed simultaneously with saidinducing step.